Abstract:
Many reports suggest that male reproductive health has deteriorated over the last decades, possibly due to environmental contaminants that act as endocrine disruptors. This hypothesis was tested in Sprague-Dawley rats using a modified Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development 415 one-generation test. Group A received cottonseed oil as control, and Groups B, C and D received deltamethrin (DM); DM and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT); and DM, DDT, phytoestrogens and p-nonylphenol, respectively. Rats were exposed in utero and then received the substances for 10 weeks. The seminal vesicle mass (Group B; P = 0.046) and sperm count [Groups C (P = 0.013) and D (P = 0.003)] were lower and the anogenital distance [Group B (P = 0.047) C (P = 0.045) and D (P = 0.002)] shorter compared with the control group. The seminiferous tubule diameter [Groups B (P = <0.001), C (P = <0.001) and D (P = <0.001)] and epithelium thickness [Groups B (P = 0.030), C (P = <0.001) and D (P = <0.001)] were smaller compared with the control. The histology of the testes showed signs of apical sloughing and vacuolisation. Liver weights [Groups C (P = 0.013) and D (P = 0.005)] and liver enzymes [Group D (P = 0.013)] were also affected. These findings may indicate that simultaneous exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds contributes to the deterioration observed in male reproductive health.
